Setting equality outcomes:
guidance for Scottish institutions
Introduction
Contents
Introduction1
Strategic focus
2
Using this briefing
2
Background3
Equality legislation
3
Learning from previous
equality outcomes
4
The process of setting equality
outcomes6
Timeline8
Stage 1 Investigate equality
issues 9
Review previous outcomes 9
Involve people
10
Gather and consider
evidence12
Stage 2 Identify equality
outcomes19
Prioritise areas for outcomes19
Formulate outcomes
20
Assign outcomes
21
Gain approval
22
Stage 3 Disseminate equality
outcomes23
Publish23
Promote23
Equality outcomes pro forma 24
Extend your knowledge
25
Under the Scottish specific duties of the Equality
Act 2010, your institution is required to prepare
and publish equality outcomes.
Institutions published their first sets of equality outcomes in 2013,
and are required to develop and publish a new set by 30 April 2017,
and subsequently at intervals of not more than four years.
What are equality outcomes?
Equality outcomes are results that your institution aims
to achieve that will further one or more of the parts of the
public sector equality duty (eliminate discrimination, advance
equality of opportunity and foster good relations – see Equality
legislation section).
They are the changes that will result as a consequence of
institutional action that will improve equality for individuals,
communities or society. For example, improved participation
or attainment, and changes in skills, attitudes, behaviours and
environmental conditions.
‘By focusing on outcomes rather than objectives, this specific duty
aims to bring practical improvements in the life chances of those
who experience discrimination and disadvantage. So in practice,
you might find it helpful to think of equality outcomes as results
intended to achieve specific and identifiable improvements in
people’s life chances.’
Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland
Contact
[email protected]
Strategic focus
Your institution’s equality outcomes should be strategic and
should focus its equality work for the following four years. Their
development should therefore be led by senior management.
Linking your outcomes to your institution’s strategic priorities
and plans will increase the impetus for delivery and their impact.
Linking equality outcomes to your institutional strategy will also
help you deliver on that strategy.
Using this briefing
This briefing aims to assist your institution to meet your
requirement to set outcomes.
It will be helpful for those responsible for equality outcomes
in colleges and universities. It will be of particular interest to
senior managers responsible for equality, and equality and
diversity staff, as well as staff in charge of strategy and planning,
policy, analysis, performance management, human resources
and governance.
2
Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Background
Equality legislation
The public sector equality duty (PSED) of the Equality Act 2010
came into force on 5 April 2011, replacing the previous separate
equality duties for disability, gender and race. The PSED consists
of a general duty supported by specific duties which are
intended to assist organisations to meet the PSED.
The specific duties for Scotland commenced on 27 May 2012
and included a duty to set equality outcomes. Equality outcomes
should help institutions meet the three needs of the PSED by
giving due regard to:
== eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
== advancing equality of opportunity between people from
different groups, considering the need to:
−− remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people due
to their protected characteristics
−− meet the needs of people with protected characteristics
−− encourage people with protected characteristics to participate
in public life or in other activities where their participation is low
== fostering good relations between people from different groups,
tackling prejudice and promoting understanding between
people from different groups
The PSED covers the following protected characteristics that are
recognised within the Act:
== age
== disability
== gender reassignment
== marriage and civil partnership (only in relation to eliminating
unlawful conduct to employees)
== pregnancy and maternity
== race
== religion or belief (including lack of belief )
== sex
== sexual orientation
August 2016
3
Duty to prepare and publish equality outcomes
Regulation 4 of the specific duties requires your institution
to set equality outcomes. It requires that equality outcomes
are based on evidence and involvement of equality groups
and are published.
Your institution must:
== prepare and publish a set of equality outcomes that will
enable the institution to better perform the PSED by 30
April 2017 and subsequently at intervals of not more than
four years
== take reasonable steps to involve people who share relevant
protected characteristics, or who represent the interests
of those people
== consider relevant evidence relating to people who share
a relevant protected characteristic
== publish reasons if the equality outcomes do not cover every
relevant protected characteristic
== review and publish a report on progress made towards
achieving the set of equality outcomes by 30 April 2019
and subsequently at intervals of not more than two years
Learning from previous
equality outcomes
The duty to set equality outcomes is relatively new, and setting
equality outcomes has inevitably been a developmental process
for institutions. Much can therefore be learned from successes
and challenges experienced by institutions in setting and
delivering previous equality outcomes.
== It is important not to confuse equality outcomes with outputs.
Outputs describe actions, what an organisation produces or
delivers. Outcomes, on the other hand, are the changes that
result for people as a consequence of the action taken, or
outputs produced.
== While there is no set format for how equality outcomes should
be presented, they must demonstrate that they will enable
better performance of the PSED and include all protected
characteristics or explain why they do not, and must be
published in an accessible manner.
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
== ECU found that many institutions could do more to ensure
reports are easily accessible to staff, students and the public.
This includes:
−− clear positioning of reports on websites
−− clarity of titles of reports, including which duties they contain
(such as equality outcomes and mainstreaming) and
publication dates
−− providing summary versions of longer reports
== Measures of success should be established for each equality
outcome. This ensures outcomes are measurable and enables
more effective review and reporting on progress, as is required
by the duty.
== Many institutions have reflected that they set outcomes that
were too broad and occasionally unrealistic. (Outcomes should
be specific to the priority equality issues for the institution,
achievable and realistic.)
Extend your knowledge
ECU (2012) The public sector equality duty: specific duties
for Scotland.
www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/the-public-sector-equalityduty-specific-duties-for-scotland
EHRC Series of guides for public authorities in Scotland on
how to meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/devolvedauthorities/commission-scotland/public-sector-equality-dutyscotland/non-statutory-guidance-scottish-public-authorities
EHRC (2015) Equality outcomes self-assessment toolkit.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/equalityoutcomes-self-assessment-tool-public-authorities-scotland
ECU (2015) Performance of the specific duties in Scotland 2015.
www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/equality-legislation/
performance-specific-duties-scotland-2015
EHRC (2013 and 2015) Measuring up? Monitoring the public
sector equality duty in Scotland.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/public-sector-equalityduty-scotland/scotland-public-sector-equality-dutyprojects/measuring
August 2016
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The process of setting equality outcomes
While every institution will take a slightly different approach to
developing equality outcomes, the following three stage process,
which is broken into nine steps, can act as a guide for the key
activities and considerations typically involved in developing
new outcomes.
Three stage Steps
process
1 R
eview previous
outcomes
Examples of activity
== Using evidence, review progress against your institution’s
previous set of equality outcomes
1. Investigate equality issues
== Identify where previous outcomes have not been fully achieved
and could be continued as part of the new outcomes
== Identify where good progress has been made that could be
built upon in the new outcomes
2 Involve people
== Consult and involve staff, students and others to gain further
evidence of equality challenges
== Take steps to involve people or organisations representing
protected characteristics to find out what would make the
most difference to them
3 G
ather and
consider evidence
== Consider institutional equality data and information on staff
and students from a range of sources
== Consider evidence of national and sectoral equality and
diversity challenges and priorities
== Consider your institutional priorities and how they relate to
equality and diversity
== Identify gaps in evidence, including gaps identified at the
involvement stage and take steps to fill these to have the fullest
possible range of information
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Three stage Steps
process
4 Prioritise
Examples of activity
== Consider all information gathered in stage 1 and identify the
inequalities that are the priorities for your institution to address
== Consider the scale and severity of the inequalities, and the
potential for impact to be achieved through addressing them
2. Identify equality outcomes
== Ensure all of the protected characteristics are explicitly covered
within these areas, or that there is a rationale if they are not, and
that they will support one or more needs of the PSED
== Consider how addressing these inequalities will align with and
support achievement of institutional priorities and strategies
5 Formulate
== Formulate a set of potential equality outcomes that describe
the measurable changes that will be achieved to address the
priority inequalities identified
== Specify a measure or set of measures for each equality outcome
from which to measure progress
6 Assign
== Agree timescales and staff responsible for monitoring progress
against each outcome
== Ensure senior commitment and mechanisms are in place for
delivery and reporting
7 Gain approval
== Consult on the potential set of outcomes internally and
externally as appropriate and use feedback to refine and finalise
== Gain final approval by an equality committee or equivalent and
the governing body prior to publication
3. Disseminate equality
outcomes
8 Publish
August 2016
== Publish both the new set of equality outcomes and information
on progress of the previous outcomes, either separately or in
one report
== Provide an accompanying rationale for the new outcomes to
help stakeholders understand how the outcomes were reached.
== Make sure that this information is easily accessible to the public
in terms of location, format and content
9 Promote
== Consider methods to engage staff and students with the new
outcomes, including in delivering them
7
Timeline
Equality outcomes must be published by 30 April 2017. The
process of setting equality outcomes should fit within your
institution’s own planning cycle.
The following considerations may prove helpful when determining
a timeline for setting new outcomes:
== Time required for involvement activity, such as surveys or events
with different groups
== Dates of equality committee/equivalent group meetings to ensure
that they are involved in the process and can approve the outcomes
prior to publication date
== Dates of governing body/board meetings to ensure they can
approve the outcomes prior to publication date
== Time needed for publication of the outcomes, such as time for
proof reading, typesetting, and uploading on to the website
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Stage 1 Investigate equality issues
Review previous
outcomes
As well as developing and publishing new equality outcomes,
your institution is required by the duties to report on its progress
in delivering its previous set of equality outcomes. This requires
a review of progress against these outcomes, which forms an
important part of the process of setting the new equality
outcomes. Your institution’s experience of delivering its previous
outcomes should inform the types of outcomes it sets for the
next period, and the ways in which it delivers them.
Steps for reviewing
outcomes
1 Review key evidence for each outcome. It is helpful to use
sources of evidence that are the same, or similar, to those that
were used as evidence when setting the outcomes. For example,
if qualitative evidence from a staff survey was used, you should
repeat the survey, asking similar questions.
2 Compare the evidence against the baseline and success
indicators for each outcome and identify where change has
occurred, be it improvements, no change or a worsening of an
equality issue.
3 Reach a conclusion as to whether the intended outcomes have
been fully achieved, partially achieved, or not achieved.
4 Consider what factors affected the success of the outcomes,
such as activities not being as successful as hoped, or an outcome
being unrealistic within the timeframe.
5 Use this information to inform the development of the new
outcomes and to report on the progress of the previous
outcomes.
== Identify any areas for continuation in new outcomes, for example,
where previous outcomes have not been fully achieved or where
good progress has been made that could be built upon.
== Identify ways in which development of the new outcomes will
be improved.
== Also use this information to report on progress with the previous
outcomes, including impact, achievements and challenges.
August 2016
9
Identifying levels of impact
The extent of progress and success achieved for each outcome can be identified as a level
of impact. ECU uses the following model.
Inputs
Outputs
Input:
the initial
resources
(time, staff,
costs) required
to produce
outputs
Foundation:
the activity
or output
produced
as a result
Outcomes
Reaction:
the response
to the activity
or output
Learning:
the initial impact
of the activity or
output – such
as growth in
knowledge
and skills
Behaviour:
any change
in behaviour
that follows
Outcomes:
how the
changes have
resulted in the
institutions’
equality
outcomes
Impact levels
Extend you knowledge
ECU (2014) Measuring progress using qualitative evidence.
www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/measuring-progressqualitative-evidence
Involve people
Tips for involvement
The specific duty requires that while developing equality
outcomes, reasonable steps be taken by your institution to
involve people who share a relevant protected characteristic and
their representatives. By involving staff, students, equality groups
and communities your institution can gain vital information
about where action is most needed. This is especially important
where there are evidence gaps.
== Undertake both targeted and open involvement, for example
meetings with groups that represent those with protected
characteristics as well as open surveys for all staff and students.
== Use a range of involvement methods for different groups; for
example, what works for a staff network may not work as well
for students.
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
== Ensure the involvement exercises are accessible and open to all
parties targeted.
== Aim as far as possible to identify individuals or representatives
from each protected group who can participate, and take steps
to address any gaps in participation.
== Involve leaders at all levels and ensure their public commitment
to the process.
== Clearly communicate the purpose, process and plans for the
involvement activity, so that they are transparent from the
outset, and ensure consistent messages are reaching staff and
students across the institution.
== Make and keep commitments that people’s views and experiences
will inform the institution’s equality outcomes, and provide
feedback to the people who participated in the activity.
== Design clear questions for the activity to ensure information
gathered is relevant and focused.
Groups to include
When taking steps to involve people in your institution there are
different groups to include.
== people with all protected characteristics, and/or their
representatives
== trade union representatives
== students’ association and other student representatives
== staff and student support functions, such as disability service and
human resources
== equality groups/networks within the institution, for example
LGBT, race or women’s networks
== wider staff and students, including contract staff
== regional equality groups and networks
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11
Examples of involvement
activity
The following are examples of involvement activities:
== all staff events
== online surveys open to all staff and students
== events with the students’ association
== workshops with the governing body/board
== presentations at equality group/network meetings
== sharing draft outcomes with regional equality organisations
and groups
Extend your knowledge
EHRC Scotland (2014) Involvement and the public sector
equality duty: a guide for public authorities (Scotland).
www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/involvementand-public-sector-equality-duty-guide-public-authoritiesscotland
ECU (2011) Effective equality surveys.
www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/effective-equality-surveys
Gather and consider
evidence
While review of previous outcomes will involve gathering and
consideration of evidence, additional relevant evidence should
also be reviewed to ensure that the most pressing equality
challenges are identified for your institution’s new equality
outcomes. It will also ensure that the equality outcomes are
informed by and will support achievement of your institution’s
wider priorities.
This evidence should relate to discrimination and other
prohibited conduct, equality of opportunity and good relations,
for all protected characteristics. Both internal and external
evidence should be considered, including the evidence your
institution already holds across its functions, as well as relevant
national, sectoral and regional evidence, and your institution’s
own strategic priorities. It can be helpful to involve policy and
analytical staff in gathering and analysing this evidence.
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Overview of evidence sources
Institutional evidence
External evidence
== HR data on staff profile by protected
characteristic across the staff journey
(recruitment, retention, leavers)
== ECU’s statistical reports
== student data on representation and
participation (admissions, retention,
attainment and completion,
progression to employment or
further study)
== student and/or staff experience surveys
== Athena SWAN Charter and Race
Equality Charter submissions
== self-evaluation findings
== quality review process findings
== complaints and grievances
== Scottish Government
equality evidence
finder
== evidence from Scottish
and UK equality
organisations
== academic research
on protected
characteristics
== national equality
challenges and
priorities in Scottish
Government and
EHRC reports
== equality impact assessment findings
== sector equality
challenges and
== involvement activity with protected
priorities in SFC
groups
outcome agreement
== institutional priorities in strategic plans
guidance and reports
and/or outcome agreements
by sector bodies
== information collected on an ongoing
basis
Institutional evidence
Alongside its new outcomes in 2017 your institution is also
required to publish information on the protected characteristics of
its employees, equal pay and occupational segregation. The work
to collate and analyse this information should inform the equality
outcomes, rather than being a separate process. For example,
if a pay audit identifies a significant pay gap between men and
women this could provide a focus for an equality outcome.
Likewise, your institution will be collecting information to inform
its next mainstreaming report for 2017, which may also prove
to be helpful evidence for its outcomes, both for reporting on
progress and identifying new outcomes.
August 2016
13
Using sector equality
evidence
When used alongside your institution’s own evidence base,
evidence of equality challenges and priorities that are common
across the college and/or university sector can:
== guide your institution’s evidence gathering in its own context;
== provide benchmarking information to help your institution
ascertain its own position in comparison to the sector as a whole;
== fill evidence gaps for areas where your institution has less
evidence;
== enable your institution to align its equality outcomes with
regional or national outcomes.
Sector benchmarking data
ECU statistics reports for colleges and HEIs.
www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/using-data-andevidence/statistics-report
SFC (2015) Learning for all. www.sfc.ac.uk/learningforall
Using national equality
evidence
The Scottish Government sets national equality priorities
through its own equality outcomes, strategies and policies.
It also provides a range of evidence sources through its equality
evidence finder website.
Scottish Government resources
Scottish Government equality webpages.
www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Equality
Scottish Government evidence finder (online resource).
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/Equalities/
DataGrid
The EHRC produces research that illuminates current equality
challenges in Scotland. These sources set the national scene
in relation to equality, and highlight challenges that all public
authorities, including colleges and universities should be
working to address.
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Is Scotland fairer? National challenges
EHRC Scotland published Is Scotland fairer? in 2015. This
outlined key equality issues for Scotland, including in education
and learning, work, income and economy, health and care,
justice security and the right to life, and the individual and
society. Some of the key findings that may be of relevance
to colleges and universities include the following:
== Destinations of school leavers varied by protected characteristic.
== Bullying is a particular issue for some young people who
share particular protected characteristics.
== Women and disabled people remained more likely to have
no qualifications.
== There is a gap in the proportion of ethnic minority people
and white people holding a degree.
== Disabled people are less likely to have a degree than nondisabled people.
== Unemployment rates increased more for disabled people
than for non-disabled people.
== Young people are less likely to be in work and saw the
greatest increase in unemployment.
== Women are less likely to be in work than men, and those
women in work are less likely to be in senior positions and
more likely to be in part-time work.
== There are gaps in evidence in relation to certain protected
characteristics.
== Attitudes had not improved in relation to mental health,
Gypsy/Travellers and Roma people.
== Lesbian, gay and bisexual people and ethnic minorities
experience harassment.
Is Scotland fairer?
www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/devolvedauthorities/commission-scotland/about-commissionscotland/scotland-fairer/scotland-fairer-report
EHRC research publications.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/devolvedauthorities/commission-scotland/research-scotland
August 2016
15
Using sector, institutional
and regional priorities
as evidence
Outcome agreements and quality frameworks
Scottish Funding Council (SFC) outcome agreements and the
quality review processes for the college and university sectors
require institutions to make progress on specific areas of equality
and diversity, such as participation and success of protected
characteristic groups. These sector priorities have been informed
by common equality challenges for the sector as a whole.
Therefore, these represent important evidence sources that can
inform institutional equality outcomes.
By taking these frameworks and institutional responses into
consideration while developing your equality outcomes, your
institution can align your equality outcomes with SFC outcome
agreements and quality improvement activity, and subsequently
develop activity that delivers progress on both fronts. This will
maximise use of resources and minimise duplication of effort,
achieve impact more quickly and demonstrate mainstreaming
of equality.
In 2016, Scottish institutions are required to develop new three
year outcome agreements with the SFC. This provides opportunity
for new equality and SFC outcome agreements to be aligned.
Further reading
SFC Outcome agreement information.
www.sfc.ac.uk/funding/OutcomeAgreements/
OutcomeAgreementsOverview.aspx
Education Scotland publications.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/
hmiepublications/index.asp
Education Scotland quality framework.
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/inspectionandreview/
about/collegereviews/index.asp
QAA quality codes.
www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-qualitycode
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Regional equality priorities
As of July 2015, the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act
provides a legal framework that promotes and encourages
community empowerment and participation. Once commenced,
it will require community planning partnerships, in which
colleges and HEIs often participate, to prepare and publish local
outcome improvement plans which set out local outcomes that
will be achieved, as well as locality plans to improve outcomes
for specific communities.
The outcomes set in these plans will be evidence based, and may
encompass equality and diversity. Therefore, they may provide
evidence of regional and local equality priorities to inform
institutional equality outcomes. Similarly, the Act could further
facilitate delivery of regional multi-partner equality outcomes,
which would support mainstreaming.
Additional evidence sources
NUS Scotland.
www.nus.org.uk/en/nus-scotland
Higher Education Academy Scotland Embedding equality and
diversity in the curriculum research.
www.heacademy.ac.uk/embedding-equality-and-diversitycurriculum
Colleges Scotland.
www.collegesscotland.ac.uk/briefings.html
Universities Scotland.
www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/publications
Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity.
www.ed.ac.uk/education/rke/centres-groups/creid/
publications
Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland.
www.ceres.education.ed.ac.uk/publications/ceres-briefings
Women in Scotland's Economy (WiSE) Research Centre.
www.gcu.ac.uk/wise/resources
Close the Gap.
www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/?cat=2
August 2016
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Engender.
www.engender.org.uk/content/publications
Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights.
www.crer.org.uk/publications
Higher Education Academy 2016 report on the link between
demographic characteristics and student engagement.
www.heacademy.ac.uk/about/news/new-hea-reportanalysis-identifies-strong-link-between-demographiccharacteristics-and
BEMIS.
bemis.org.uk/publications
Scottish Transgender Alliance.
www.scottishtrans.org/resources/research-evidence
Stonewall Scotland.
www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/our-work/stonewallscotland-research
Community empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.
www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2015/6/contents/enacted
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Stage 2 Identify equality outcomes
Prioritise areas
for outcomes
Strategic ownership of your new equality outcomes should be
ensured in a number of ways. It is advisable that a team or group
with appropriate senior membership undertakes the process of
identifying equality outcomes. The process should be a formal
one and accountability for the new outcomes will need to be
assigned to individuals or departments across the institution.
Use the information gained during stage 1 to prioritise the
equality issues that your institution should address through your
new equality outcomes. Consider the principles of proportionality
and relevance; your decisions should be based on the severity of
the equality issues in your institution and where the most impact
can be made within your functions and resources.
Key considerations for
prioritisation:
== Scale. Consider the size of the problem, how many people
it affects and the scale of impact that could be achieved.
== Severity. Does the issue lead to substantial inequality even
though the number affected by it may be low? Benchmarking
can help identify how severe the equality issue is in the
institution through making comparisons to the wider sector.
== Concern. Do stakeholders, students or staff see it as a serious issue?
== Impact. Is there potential for action by the institution to make
a significant impact?
== Furthering the PSED. An equality outcome must further one or
more of the following: eliminate discrimination, advance equality
of opportunity, and foster good relations.
== Covering all protected characteristics. A set of equality
outcomes must cover the full range of protected characteristics.
If a particular characteristic is not covered across the entire set
of outcomes, you must publish reasons for this.
== Regional context. For colleges in particular, identifying issues
that are relevant across several partner institutions may be
a consideration in prioritisation.
August 2016
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Aligning with institutional
priorities
‘The specific duties are intended to embed equality within public
authorities’ existing systems and frameworks. As a result, you should
aim to prepare your equality outcomes and business plan in tandem,
using your equality outcomes as a way of helping you to meet your
strategic business priorities.’
EHRC Scotland
Equality outcomes should align with and support your institutional
priorities so that they can be delivered using existing plans and
operations. This will enable your institution to meet the
mainstreaming duty, as well as the equality outcomes duty.
During prioritisation of the outcomes, it is helpful to plot out how
the equality issues you have identified for outcomes will align
with and support achievement of institutional priorities and
strategies, for example as articulated in strategic plans and/or
SFC outcome agreements.
Formulate outcomes
In formulating the set of outcomes, and the specific phrasing
used, consider the following:
== Number. The duties do not specify the number of equality outcomes
required. The number of outcomes should be manageable and
reflect the number of important priorities identified.
== Level and range. Equality outcomes should be strategic in level,
while the actions institutions will undertake to achieve their
equality outcomes may involve both the strategic and
operational level. Sub-outcomes can be set in addition to core
equality outcomes if this is helpful in ensuring operational
delivery of the outcomes.
== Phrasing. It is vital that the equality outcomes are written as
outcomes rather than targets, activities or outputs.
== Timescale. Outcomes must start in the year they are published.
Interim progress towards meeting the outcomes must be
published by 30 April two years later, and final progress should
be reported by 30 April another two years after that.
== Measurement. Outcomes should be measurable, and therefore
setting indicators of success is advisable. Indicators of success
express what the achievement of the equality outcome will look
like, which is a change from the baseline situation.
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Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Indictors of success
In some cases an outcome will lend itself to a quantitative target
against which progress can be measured, such as a specific
increase in the number of students with a particular characteristic.
However, for some areas it may not be appropriate or possible
to include a numerical target, but progress could still be
measured in a range of ways, for example through indicators
of changes in staff or student behaviour.
Indicators can measure change at different stages of delivery:
== short-term – what we deliver: often described in terms
of outputs
== medium-term – immediate results of what we deliver:
demonstrate response to an activity and growth in
knowledge and skills
== longer-term – impact or outcome of what we deliver:
show change in behaviour and culture
These stages can be mapped onto the impact model
previously described as follows:
Foundation
Short-term indicators or results (quantitative)
Reaction
Medium-term indicators of success
(quantitative)
Learning
Behaviour
Assign outcomes
August 2016
Long-term indicators of impact (quantitative
and qualitative)
At this stage, it is important that the outcomes are assigned
to relevant individuals, departments or teams so that the
responsibility for delivery and reporting is shared across the
institution, and is clearly defined. It can be helpful to have
a senior member of staff allocated responsibility for each
outcome to ensure senior level commitment.
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Gain approval
Final consultation
Once draft outcomes have been composed, it is helpful to share
internally, and externally where relevant, to gather feedback
that will enable refinement and finalisation of the outcomes.
This also enables your institution to again meet the requirement
for involvement of people in the development of its equality
outcomes.
Approval
As a strategic public-facing document, equality outcomes are
typically approved by both an equality committee or equivalent
and the governing body/board of your institution. It is therefore
important to develop equality outcomes in sufficient time for
both groups to receive and approve the draft outcomes at
meetings prior to the publication date.
22
Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Stage 3 Disseminate equality outcomes
Publish
Publication
The regulations require your institution’s equality outcomes
to be published by 30 April 2017, and then at four-year intervals.
Progress reports should be published every two years.
The regulations do not specify the format equality outcomes
should be published in. ECU recommends that institutions provide
a rationale and commentary for their equality outcomes. This
gives an opportunity to demonstrate why specific outcomes
have been prioritised. We also recommend that if mainstreaming
reporting and equality outcomes are published in the same
report, they should be clearly differentiated.
Where to publish
Your institution must publish the required information in a manner
that is accessible to the public. This will generally mean on your
institution’s website in a section that is easy to navigate to from
the homepage.
Resources
ECU (2015) Performance of the specific duties in Scotland 2015.
www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/equality-legislation/
performance-specific-duties-scotland-2015
Promote
You may wish to consider a dissemination event to launch the
outcomes.
Examples of ways to engage staff, students and stakeholders
with equality outcomes include publishing an easy-read version
of the outcomes, or a one-page summary version, alongside
a longer report.
It is also helpful to design ways to engage with staff and students
in the delivery of the equality outcomes.
August 2016
23
Equality outcomes pro forma
The following pro forma covers all specific requirements of the
equality outcome duty. It could therefore help you ensure you
have covered all of these as you develop your outcomes. It may
also be a helpful way of planning how you will present your
outcomes when you come to publish them.
Equality outcome
Evidence of need (baseline position)
Indicators of success and how
progress will be measured, including
short, medium and long-term
Which part/s of the PSED is covered?
Which protected characteristics
are covered?
How it aligns with institutional
priorities (eg outcome agreement
and strategic plan)
Summary of planned action and
who will lead on each action
Who is responsible for overseeing
its delivery?
24
Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
Extend your knowledge
== ECU (2012) The public sector equality duty: specific duties for
Scotland.
www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/the-public-sector-equality-dutyspecific-duties-for-scotland
== ECU (2012) Equality Act 2010: implications for colleges and HEIs.
www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/equality-act-2010-revised
== Updates and guidance on the Equality Act 2010 and implications
for higher education institutions and colleges.
www.ecu.ac.uk/subjects/equality-act-2010
== EHRC Series of guides for public authorities in Scotland on how
to meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/scotland/publicsectorequality-duty
== Latest information and updates to the Equality Act 2010 from the
Scottish government.
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality
== Scottish government equality evidence finder.
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/Equalities/
DataGrid
== EHRC (2015) Equality outcomes self-assessment toolkit.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/equalityoutcomes-self-assessment-tool-public-authorities-scotland
== ECU (2015) Performance of the specific duties in Scotland 2015.
www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/equality-legislation/
performance-specific-duties-scotland-2015
== EHRC (2013 and 2015) Measuring up? Monitoring the public sector
equality duty in Scotland.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/public-sector-equalityduty-scotland/scotland-public-sector-equality-duty-projects/
measuring
== ECU (2014) Measuring progress using qualitative evidence.
www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/measuring-progress-qualitativeevidence
== EHRC Scotland (2014) Involvement and the public sector equality
duty: a guide for public authorities (Scotland).
www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/involvement-andpublic-sector-equality-duty-guide-public-authorities-scotland
August 2016
25
== Is Scotland fairer? (2015)
www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/devolvedauthorities/commission-scotland/about-commission-scotland/
scotland-fairer/scotland-fairer-report
== EHRC research publications.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/devolvedauthorities/commission-scotland/research-scotland
== ECU (2015) Performance of the specific duties in Scotland 2015.
www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/equality-legislation/
performance-specific-duties-scotland-2015
26
Setting equality outcomes: guidance for Scottish institutions
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